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Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Day 9 Training Camp Notebook: Battles continue as Vikings enter the dog days of camp

It was a hot day in Eagan as the Vikings continued training camp practices at TCO Performance Center. Daniel House takes you inside another training camp notebook!

Updated: August 8, 2018, 6:30 p.m.

By: Daniel House

It was a hot day in Eagan as the Vikings continued training camp
practices at TCO Performance Center. The team practiced with shoulder pads and
shorts, but some players like Riley Reiff chose to compete in full pads. It
was a day filled with running periods, red zone work and situational components. At
this point in camp, there are very few observations to report other than a few I have discussed in the past. Here are few of the key takeaways from Wednesday’s
afternoon session:

Wright makes plays with Diggs out

Kendall Wright had a great red zone grab on a corner route
against Trae Waynes during DB/WR drills. He also grabbed a quick slant in
another red zone period against Mackensie Alexander. Wright and Cayleb Jones
were substituting into the first-team unit during team drills with Stefon Diggs
missing practice. Both Diggs and Xavier Rhodes were held out of the afternoon session.
According to Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune, Mike Zimmer said, “they did
not make me happy” and added, “just undisciplined stuff.” It was also confirmed
their absence was not injury related.

Kendall Wright has been rather quiet in camp, but managed to
get open on a few occasions during practice. He is more exclusively a slot receiver,
which might make him expendable if others step up. Brandon Zylstra may have received
more reps in this role, but left practice early after grabbing an out in the
end zone against cornerback Marcus Sherels. Zylstra is putting together a great
camp, so it will be interesting to find out more information regarding why he left. Tavarres King
also returned to practice after missing time with a hamstring injury. He is
another player in the conversation to claim one of the final receiver spots. As
offensive coordinator John DeFilippo said earlier on Wednesday, the preseason
will provide a clearer picture of the battle.

Stacy Coley also made a splash play during the afternoon practice, completing a diving catch up the left sideline over Marcus Sherels for a big
gain. It was one of the first big plays Coley has created after missing the early stages of camp with an injury.

Sherels continues to fight, Hill is getting better

In the 1-on-1 drills, Marcus Sherels won all of his reps,
aside from the above loss to Zysltra. He had a great pass breakup intended for
Jake Wieneke in the end zone. Sherels has been solid for a large portion of
training camp and is hanging around just like he always does. It’s going to be a numbers game, especially considering the performance
of cornerback Holton Hill. Hill had a great pass breakup on a fade in the back
corner of the end zone intended for Kendall Wright. He was in perfect positon,
turned his hips and stuck his hand in the passing lane to knock the throw away.
Hill is growing every day with additional instruction and will be another
player to monitor closely in the preseason.

Edison taking advantage of the reps, Collins working at guard and tackle

Up front, there was an extensive 1-on-1 session between the
offensive and defensive lines. Danny Isidora won a pair of reps against Sheldon
Richardson, but still has inconsistent moments in team action. Cornelius
Edision has been surprisingly solid in many ways, too. He is winning the 1-on-1
matchups and made a great play to get into the second level for a Dalvin Cook
swing pass. He is going to be asked to step up in a major way if Nick Easton’s
injury is significant. When asked about Edison during Wednesday’s press
conference, offensive coordinator John DeFilippo was complimentary of him, as
well.

“I tell you, he has stepped in and done really, really well,
I’m proud of him. He plays with great leverage, he has strong hands, he stays
low to the ground, he’s smart,” DeFilippo said. “He hasn’t messed up a snap yet
in terms of the cadence. So he’s done a fantastic job of stepping in there and
we’re happy where he’s at.”

In multiple drills, Aviante Collins has been extremely
solid. In fact, he might be the most improved young player among the offensive
linemen. His hand technique is more consistent and it’s showing up
in drills. He mauled Ifeadi Odenigbo in a rushing period and won reps against,
Jalyn Holmes, Everson Griffen and Jaleel Johnson in 1-on-1 drills. He was
working at both tackle and guard during the 1-on-1 sessions and stood out in
both roles. Perhaps the team will choose to start him at guard if he continues
the momentum into the preseason. Again, it’s so hard to evaluate offensive line
play in camp, but Collins’ technical growth, combined with his performance should
leave people encouraged.

Jalyn Holmes has been impressive in the 1-on-1 reps, but is
still learning how to put everything together. There are moments in certain
practice sessions where he gets washed out of plays, but he also flashes
potential from time-to-time, too. Danielle Hunter was extremely dominant on his
reps against Rashod Hill, destroying him with speed-to-power. He has looked
very impressive in camp as he shows off more of his developed pass rushing moves.

In the final situational drill, the offense was tested in
the red zone. Kirk Cousins beautifully placed a touchdown pass to Kyle Rudolph
in the back corner of the end zone. He slid the throw in-between Trae Waynes
and Andrew Sendejo to complete the touchdown reception. There were numerous
portions of practice where Cousins was very vocal about making adjustments at
the line of scrimmage. He also was getting guys in the right position and
commanding the team throughout various situations.

There was a small portion of practice where Antwione
Williams took snaps in the base defense with Anthony Barr being held out of the
session. He has made his presence known as a rusher and downhill defender and
is starting to gain a few more reps with the main core. He’s another player to monitor
throughout the four preseason games.

Safety Harrison Smith also picked off a Kirk Cousins throw in the
end zone during a red zone drill, drawing one of the biggest cheers of the day.

Injury Report

As discussed above, Xavier Rhodes and Stefon Diggs were held
out of practice for a non-injury related situation. Mike Remmers was out on the
field for a portion of the session, but was not participating. Nick Easton remained
sidelined and Pat Elflein is on the physically unable to perform list. Colby
Gossett was a new addition to the non-participant list. Tavarres King returned
after battling a hamstring injury for the past four practices.